"When a Bulging Disc Becomes Chronic Back Pain"
By Tommy Hoffman, Licensed Physical Therapist
Unfortunately as you may have hurt your back several months ago, your condition may now be deemed to be chronic in nature. A chronic lower back pain is considered to be one that has lasted for greater than three months. Since most people do not run to their physician for every little incident, it happens more often than you might think.
Why would someone wait longer than three months to deal with back pain?
Some people just hate going to their physicians. So they wait it out hoping their condition will improve spontaneously. Sometimes, people think they can figure it out for themselves. These people love to play doctor and go online to search the internet for what seems to be what ails them. Soon they are convinced they have found what they believe to be the problem with their lower back. This can lead to poor planning, as the internet can be an extremely weak substitute for the proper diagnosis and treatment of your condition.
Another good reason is pain tolerance. However, a good pain tolerance can often time be a detriment to you!
Because a person may have an extremely good pain tolerance, they are able to put up with pain symptoms for a lot longer period of time, only this may be an enourmous mistake. Some conditions require a more immediate reaction, and putting your head in the sand isn’t the solution. Just because an individual can put up with pain symptoms for three months or longer, doesn’t mean they should.
As a general rule, it is reasonable to wait a few days as your symptoms keep improving. If your symptoms either continue to be unchanged or get worse over time, don’t wait to seek the advice of a medical professional. The sooner you get medical attention the better. It has been shown that acute lower back pain conditions get better faster with medical attention then does a chronic condition.
Good Luck,
Tommy Hoffman, P.T.Tommy Hoffman
"Don't spend more time with back pain by not finding out the truth today!"